Challenges with being a leader
In class, we discuss what a leader is. The characteristics of a leader, what a leader does, what is not a leader. But looking into leadership as a role, we barely take time to discuss the challenges that certain leaders face today. Women leaders have been marginalized and people often overlook the difficulties of being a female leader today. Even though there is strong evidence over the stellar work done by women in power all over the world, there is still a significant difference in the ratio of men to women leaders in this world. Take a look at this pdf:
Even with this statistic, the few women leaders, either in corporations or in public office, continue to be badgered and face challenges—mainly from the media.
Looking back at 2008, when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were fighting to receive the Democratic Presidential Election Nomination, some articles (here is one) point out how the media played a prevalent role in aiding Obama in getting the Presidential election. It is quite possible that the media had a bias in between the two nominees. They badgered Clinton and praised Obama. To wrap this up, leadership studies shouldn’t just be about the making of a leader. Learning about the struggles certain leaders face enables future leaders to overcome those obstacles, to be strong against opposition, and to be less fearful.
October 9th, 2012 at 11:01 am
I’m glad that you brought up this approach to looking at leadership. Part of becoming a leader is external, not internal. This means, as you said above, that context is important when analyzing someone’s ability to lead. I think an interesting related point to the one you made about the Democratic Party candidacy in the 2008 election is the difference in campaigning style between Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Clinton focused her efforts on giving off a “I’m just one of the boys” image, while Palin maintained an image of a hockey mom highly relatable to many women. Now, post-election, Clinton is fairly well respected and recognized for her professional work, while Palin landed a TLC reality show, a famous impersonation by Tina Fey, and a ton of ridicule. This just shows how male dominated leadership truly is. While Clinton is a woman, she needed to conform to a more traditional male image in order to succeed in being seen as a leader.
October 9th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
I really like the diverse approach you took in examining leadership within the realms of gender roles and the obstacles they can present. There are multiple obstacles which can be present in leadership as both a male and female, however, I also appreciate how you end the post with a positive spin on how struggles can shape and help us grow and develop as individuals and leaders.
October 10th, 2012 at 6:01 am
Great post Rodrigo,
As we start into the next several weeks of class, we’re going to be looking at different aspects of the self, with a focus on how important it is for the leader to have a solid sense of identity. This is so important for just the reasons you outline here. Society (through institutions like the media) puts a lot of assumptions on us based on stereotypes and social norms about how certain types of people are “supposed” to act. When we begin with a solid sense of who we ARE and not what cultural norms PUT on us, then we are in a better place to respond to that.
So glad you brought up this issue!
October 10th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
I disagree with you on the statement that Hilary lost the nomination to then Senator Obama. The reason I think Obama won the nomination was because of multiple reasons. The reason Clinton lost was not because she is a women. She has struggles to deal with yes, but so does President Obama. I think he was up to more scrutiny to deal with because he is a black man. I am a firm believer of the saying “being a black man in America isn’t easy.” It is actually one of the most difficult things ever.